Personal items like hair clips, combs and pins, especially children's, are often just left where they were in a very disorganized and messy manner when interest ended--leaving the parents to restore order. Such items are easily lost, damaged or misplaced when left lying about, especially when the item is one of a pair--like matched hair bows. In addition if such items are haphazardly stored in drawers or closets they may be lost and/or damaged, and, even when properly stored, such items are hidden where they may be forgotten. It is an object of this invention to overcome these problems.
An earlier attempt, addressing the storage problem, is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,991 to Leila H. Jones, this patent discloses a hanger for toys or other objects. The hanger visually displays toys, dolls and/or other such items via Velcro straps. The Jones patent does not provide that the hanger itself is a toy or plaything, and the attachment of the toys to the hanger is not playing with the combination toy and hanger. In addition the attachment is not creative and provides no incentive for the children to be neat and put away such items.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,751 to Cynthia G. Schiavo et al. discloses a doll with attachment means. This invention is a toy doll with Velcro attachments whereby the hands can be joined, or lollipops attached to the hands. Schiavo et al. provide an extended way of playing with the doll by, in effect, providing for a kit of doll accessories which can be attached as part of the play. However, there is no suggestion or means provided or suggested to allow other items not associated in some way with the doll to be attached, nor is there any suggestion of using the doll for storage of the attached items.
It is an object of the invention to provide a means for users to store personal and other sundry items in a decorative manner onto a toy, where the act of storing the item is a creative and fun part of playing with the toy. It is an object of this invention, that when interest has waned in the toy, to provide a viewable and decorative storage facility--the combination toy and attached items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple attachment means such that even small children can attach items to the toy.
It is another object of this invention to provide a means for visual, decorative storage of personal and other items in a manner such that the user has full view of the items themselves--so such items are not forgotten.
Another object of this invention is to provide a toy useful in itself, but also to provide a means for the user to creatively use and arrange attachable items.
It is another object of this invention to provide an incentive for children to put things away by making the task playful and instructive. In this way the child is encouraged to be neat and responsible.